I cannot believe I’ve hit the 9 month mark already. Although people keep saying I look like I am ready to pop, burst, explode (oh I’ve heard it all and then some) I technically still have a few weeks to go until this baby comes. Although I feel so lucky to have had a good and healthy pregnancy, I do admit, keeping up my work schedule is getting harder (especially because it’s so tough to sleep but I hear that’s normal!). My feet and legs are so swollen (I am trying to keep them elevated as much as possible and wearing my not so comfortable doctor prescribed compression tights but nothing seems to help) they are unrecognizable! This baby is moving and kicking like crazy- and wants out I think!

The nesting thing I heard about I guess has kicked in! I just want everything organized and set up. I’ve been cleaning like crazy. A few weeks ago, we moved, so unpacking has been a bit stressful. But slowly, with the help of my amazing parents, I am crossing things off the list. I think I have all the baby stuff I need. (I am so behind on getting thank you cards out and I feel terrible about that!) One of my best friends, Vanessa Alfano, is a Mommy Blogger and made me this list of her favorite baby gear (and my very loving work family surprised me with this segment!).

We went to hospital orientation on Sunday… it seemed that all of the other parents-to-be (all due way after me btw) had their bags packed and pediatricians picked. I am getting on both this week (and thank Elizabeth for sending me a care package with a lot of what I’ll need)! Would love any of your mommy-must-haves and Long Island friends, any Nassau County south shore pediatricians you love!

So in the middle of this craziness (we are also opening a new restaurant this month) my dear friend Ingrid (again) suggested that I take maternity pics and said she had the perfect photographer friend to do it. At first I said no… not feeling so great about how I look… and I have plenty of pics of me and videos of me… and I don’t have time for a photo session…. so, I said no again…. and then several more people suggested I take some and said I’d regret not taking them. One of my girlfriends said, “you are so blessed to be pregnant- god willing you will have this blessing again- but who knows.”

So, Ingrid was kind enough to set the whole thing up with Jennifer of Two Bees photography at a beach by my house last week, and even picked me a dress to wear. I practically forced my husband to go… I was kind of embarrassed and nervous but Jen (who is a mom) made me feel so comfortable and was so quick (thank goodness because Mo isn’t so patient with those types of things) and now I am so happy that she captured this very special time in our lives. She even delivered me the flash drive today in the cutest package! Although these are very personal to me, I thought I’d share a few with you because I am very grateful.

I do have to apologize if you received an inappropriate response to a kind comment on a previous post, someone made an email account pretending to be me and was responding to many of you. They also write mean and hurtful things to me as well. I choose not to let hate and negativity impact me during this very precious time. Instead, I send that person prayers that they somehow find peace and happiness for themselves.

Thank you for all of the well wishes and kind notes… I appreciate all of the love & advice!

I sometimes catch a glimpse of myself in my work bathroom mirror and can’t believe it so I have to snap & send to Mo!

The bump is getting bigger and bigger (and everything else is too!) and I think the days of squeezing into my regular clothes are quickly coming to an end. I’ve been following my nutritionist, friend and co-author Stacy Moutafis’ Baby Body diet as best I can and sticking to my workouts with Geri twice a week (and trying to get in that cardio & Stacy’s extra exercises but gosh it’s getting tougher!).

I feel very blessed and grateful to be having a healthy pregnancy, so I hate to complain about anything (although these compression tights my doctor has me wearing for my leg swelling are very unattractive and quite uncomfortable and difficult to get on! Feet up as much as possible is also tough for someone that is always on the go- but I am trying my best and Saint is loving it).

The baby’s kicks are getting stronger (I love feeling it!) and I feel like my list of to-dos is getting longer. My whole life I’ve over prepared and over studied for everything- and so I am starting to stress that I am behind in baby preparedness!

My sister and friends have been kind enough to compile my long list of must-haves (I can’t believe there are so many things to get) and Mo and I spent today looking at baby stuff trying to educate ourselves (whoah is everything expensive). I received some books as gifts that I started to skim- but I wish that there was one mom-ual that had a list of everything I need and need to do… and the timetable I need to do it in!

My doctor gave me a stack of paper work… hospital registration, cord blood…. and said I have to start looking into birthing classes… I had no idea there was such a thing!

A girlfriend suggested I book a maternity shoot (what to wear alone stresses me out)… another asked if I thought about getting a hospital gown to wear (does everyone do that?)… and another asked if I started making a push play list (music to play during labor? I never heard of that but now every song on the radio has me thinking…. ) . Moms out there, did you do any of this?

I know none of it really matters, and having a healthy baby is the only thing that matters, but I want to be the best mom possible and have this be the best experience possible. So suggestions are appreciated – and if anyone has that mom-ual… I’ll take it!

First, thank you for all of your very kind messages and comments. We are so touched by all of the beautiful notes and well wishes, and grateful for all of the love.

My bump is growing and the big question has been, do we know if we are having a boy or girl…

well, we could know, but we don’t yet!

Our doctor gave us a sealed envelope with the answer inside and we’ve had it for about a month. Each time we think about opening it, the timing doesn’t seem right.

Mostly everyone in my family waited for the big delivery room reveal with the belief that there are so few surprises in life…. but, almost all of my friends found out right away! I guess that leaves us somewhere in the middle!

In our waiting defense, we’ve had a lot going on in the last month, with Mo’s crazy travel schedule, buying a house and another business (that’s a whole other blog or 10), publishing The Bridal Body book (and all of the events that have gone along with it) and sadly the devastating loss of a family member, Mo & I have had very little time together.

Part of me wants to know simply so that the “your face changed- you are having a girl”, “you’re widening so it’s definitely a girl”, “you are carrying in front so it’s a boy for sure” comments come to an abrupt end!

The honest truth is, it truly doesn’t matter to me if it’s a boy or a girl (I’d love to have both) – as I now truly understand the concern of just wanting a healthy baby.

A lot of friends are asking if we’ll do a reveal party (I was even given balloons!) … I’ve seen some very cute, fun ones but I’m not sure that’s for us… maybe we’ll just open it on rare quiet day at home… or with immediate family…. I guess both the when and how are still big question marks! Or perhaps I am over thinking this way too much!

So parents, just wondering, did you find out the sex of your baby? Are you happy that you did or didn’t?

I know I am a month late, but please accept my wishes for a very Happy & Healthy New Year ahead! I’m not sure where the last month went, as I still have a few Santas and rolls of wrapping paper to put away in my house, but I am so excited to get going with 2016!

2015 was an exciting, emotional, and I’ll be honest, stressful year. I lost my beloved Golden Retriever Chrissy, and I miss him every day. We’ve had illness in our extended family. I adjusted to and settled into married life… although my wedding video and albums are still yet to be seen… we still have loose ends to tie, a year and a half later!

My husband bought a restaurant and I’ve learned first hand all that goes into being a business owner. We are coming up on a year of owning The Point Ale House and Grill, and we still have so much we want to do. I’ve learned that everything can’t get done all at once (as deadline driven me would prefer), sometimes your plan isn’t God’s plan, and that teamwork truly does make the dream work. I also learned so much about the restaurant business and so much about my husband. I have such tremendous admiration for his strength, drive, ability to think outside the box and multitasking skills.

I have so much respect for him and all of you who have succeeded in running a business! It’s not easy, but I am excited to help him get some bigger plans going in 2016.

Every year at the beginning of the year I make myself a physical list of goals for the upcoming year. I think for the past decade, publishing a book has been on that list.

I love to write and have written a number of books over the years that sit safely on my computer. This year I am so proud to say that my goal is finally being met. In the next several weeks, I will be a published author! The funny thing is, it’s not one of my beloved books that have lived for years in my computer.

As you know if you’ve read this blog, a big part of my wedding journey was getting in shape and getting healthy. It’s still something I work on every day and a huge part of my life. So many of you have reached out asking for more information about how I lost weight for my wedding. I give so much credit to my nutritionist Stacy Moutafis, who is also a trainer, for teaching me so much, changing my life and my overall well-being.

So we decided to put all of the information that helped me (and her other brides-to-be) into a book that we hope will be the every-bride’s guide to wedding weight loss. For me, it wasn’t just about losing weight, but being healthy and feeling good. In our book, Stacy breaks down all of the nutrition information you need to know and designed specific meal plans and workouts. I contributed my stories and strategies.

It’s called The Bridal Body book and it is being published and will be sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in stores and shops in the next few weeks. It’s been a lot of time and hard work, but truly a labor of love. I am so excited to share it with you and I hope it will change a lot of lives, just as it’s changed mine! We’ll be attending Bridal Expos, having events, workshops and signings in the upcoming months… so stay tuned! And Happy New Year!

It’s been a year. Well, technically one year and one month.

I am very grateful we had one night to celebrate our anniversary and first year of marriage at Oheka Castle (where we got married, and they were kind enough to hang up our wedding spread in Newsday on their wall).

Please know that I do not mean to sound ungrateful by any means. Just honest. The truth is, even after the honeymoon is over and the bills are paid and the thank yous are mailed… there’s still a lot to be done. And, as I’ve learned, it could all take a good year.

So, it’s been a year (well, over a year)… and that comes with new pressure because, well, it’s been a year.

1. Our Cake.

I waited all year for a taste of our delicious cake that my mother so generously stored for us in her freezer (and prayed not to have a power outage!). She gave it back just before our anniversary, and here it remains. In my “storage” fridge.

Because it is so special to me (I know it was made with so much love), I had a grand vision of inviting my whole family over, watching our wedding video and eating the cake together to celebrate our anniversary. Yet, we haven’t had time to do that. And, furthermore, the wedding video is still not done…. And, yes, it’s been a year.

{ UPDATE: WE FINALLY ATE THE CAKE —just the two of us after a long day, and it was so delicious and beautiful… I hated cutting into it and wish I could save it forever!}

2. The Wedding Album.

I am so happy that (I thought) I completed our wedding album two days before the one year deadline. Whew! However, I just realized that there are photos I need to add that were not included in my proof pics. And what about all of those other pictures that didn’t make the album? Do they just sit in a box?

3. The Gifts.

I look at the boxes piled in our bedroom every night before I go to sleep and think of all of the wonderful items inside. The truth is, we absolutely love all of our beautiful gifts and can’t wait to have wonderful dinner parties and big family gatherings… someday….

4. The Dress.

Is still hanging in my old room at my mother’s house. I go upstairs and visit it every time I am home and think about the fabulous day I had in that dress. I think that if I took it out of the plastic, it might be able to dance on its own! But I know (although my mom has been kind enough not to complain) that it can’t hang there forever. And I have no idea what to do with it. I wanted to put it on again (in hopes that it zips!)- a la that famous Friends episode- and pop open a bottle of champagne (I think we have a few from our engagement that we still haven’t opened) and eat our wedding cake… in my dress. See item #1.

5. The Questions.

First, here’s my question… what makes “the year” the deadline to have all of your you-know-what together? I am the first to admit, I certainly don’t. But people expect you to and ask questions that make me feel like there’s something wrong with me, with us. For example, “It’s been a year, have you thought about starting a family?” Nope, the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, so thank you so much for bringing it to my attention!

All I can say is that we are a work in progress, and although “it’s been a year” (okay, over a year), I pray that we will have many, many years together… and it’s all about the journey, isn’t it?

One year ago right now I was beginning what would be the best day of my life so far. I can’t believe today is our 1 year anniversary.

It was a beautiful day, just like today. I had the people I love the most there to celebrate my marriage to the love of my life. I will be forever grateful for all of the love and kindness I was given from so many, even from so many of you that I haven’t had the opportunity to meet in person. So, thank you. Thank you to everyone, especially my husband and our families, who went out of your way to make it so very special. I will never take that day, or this time in my life for granted.

We celebrated our first anniversary a few days early at Oheka Castle, the place we got engaged and had our wedding celebration. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked across the great lawn and imagined it full of our friends and family. I can remember a year ago stopping in the garden as we took pictures to look over and take it all in- fully aware that we would never have all of these people we love so much in the same place again. As I walked through the hallways of the castle, I can’t believe it was a year ago that all of our friends from all over the world filled those rooms and we had the biggest party- and after party- of our lives.

When I think about our wedding day, I am filled with the emotion of love and joy.

It has been such an exciting and emotional year for Mo and I. Time is a funny thing. I feel like so much has happened and changed since our wedding day, yet it feels like it was yesterday and I still just can’t believe a year has gone by.

(I am proud to say, two days before the one year deadline, I finally made our wedding album!)

Marriage is wonderful. I am so blessed to have the best partner and to come home to so much love every day… and I truly am excited for every day. But, I’ve also learned that marriage isn’t easy and takes work. I’ve learned that I need to change some priorities, say no to some people and “obligations” so I can put “us” first. And I’ve learned that I still have so much to learn!

It’s been a tough year in that we lost our dog Chrissy who was so sick for so long- and we miss him terribly. It’s been a challenging year in that my husband bought The Point, a restaurant in our town- and it’s been more work and emotional and financial stress than I ever imagined it would be. Perhaps we are not exactly where we thought we would be one year in, but I keep reminding myself that it is about the journey, and there is noone else I’d want to be on this journey with.

We are going to take a few hours out today to spend together on our one year anniversary, because as you know, time flies and we have to savor the good times.

Thanks for following along the last two years. This is very special and personal to us, but we’d like to share with you four minutes of the best day of our life.

Wow, another year flies by, and what a year it was. I think the most change ever for me in a year… so many great “somethings new” (I’ll get to our latest in a moment) … it makes me a little sad to leave this year behind.

Every Birthday-Eve I look at my list of all the positive things that have happened to me in the past year (yes, I keep a list in my phone just in case I need a pick me up on a down day), and I look at my list of goals that I set for that year. (I am so grateful to have had such a great year.) Then I make a list of my goals for the coming year. This year that goal list is much more challenging because I am not quite sure where I want life to take me. And perhaps for the first time, I am okay with that. As the lovely Susan Lucci says, “let life surprise you”. And of course, keep working hard.

It’s funny to think about age…how fast time goes the older you get, or at least the older I get. All of these expectations that come along with hitting a certain number. I think about how much pressure I’ve put on myself the last decade. My 20-something year old self thought I’d be way further along in all aspects of life by now. And she’d be shocked I am living in the suburbs.

But somehow still, I truly believe in the old saying, “You are where you’re supposed to be”.

I came across this awesome article in the Huffington Post this week, and I feel like I wrote it! It pretty much states my exact feelings about what I’ve learned (it’s a quick read):

And yes, Sheryl Sandberg was right: The person you choose to spend your life with is the most important career decision you will make. (so, so sad for the loss of Sheryl’s husband) This is especially true when you have crazy hours like mine, and are constantly on the go. Having Mo support me and be my teammate is something I’ve never experienced before. And now he needs my support…

So that brings me back to our something new.

My husband has a new business. Mo is now an entrepreneur, a few weeks ago he bought a restaurant in our neighborhood. To be honest, I never ever thought he’d/ we’d have our own business let alone a restaurant. But somehow, life surprised us when this opportunity was presented to him.

His dad has had several restaurants, so Mo grew up in the business. I worked as a waitress for a total of about two days (both days did not end well)! In Mo’s busy basketball months (working as a TV College Basketball commentator), business in our community slows down so id dloe do

{I left that in because that is the point in which I fell asleep writing this last night sitting up in bed and Mo came home hours later and removed this computer from my chest and tucked me in}.

Clearly, I am exhausted (we both are).

But, feeling energized and optimistic this morning as I start this new year. Mo waited for me to wake up to wish me a Happy Birthday, and then had to be off running restaurant errands (I can’t believe how much work and how hard it is taking over this business). I have to get ready to work myself today. I’ll be backstage at a huge summer concert, then I will meet him at the restaurant later for a little Birthday celebration. For years I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday (I didn’t like making anything about me), but now I see it differently. While my friends and family — and we– are all happy and healthy and lucky enough to have so much to celebrate, we should celebrate and make the most of every day. I know it’s going to be a grind for us with this new business (please pass along any advice or words of wisdom), but my birthday wish is that we take time out and enjoy all the good things happening right now. Time flies, and birthdays come fast. So, if you come down to The Point, please stop me and say hello, and remind me of that!

Recently I’ve been having so many discussions about women supporting women, and how to balance work, kids, and relationships.

So, when I was sitting at a bar with Maura West, Finola Hughes,and Laura Wright, three of my favorite soap stars on General Hospital who happen to all be working moms (Maura’s a mother of 5!) up for Daytime Emmy Awards tonight, I decided to whip out my iphone and ask them some questions.

Their answers were refreshing, encouraging, honest and surprisingly super down to earth.
I’ve always been a huge GH fan. This made me love and admire them even more.

On working with the other women of GH on set & women supporting women:

Now that spring has officially sprung (and we finally have a beautiful weekend here in New York) it’s time to talk fashion trends! I’ve been collecting my spring items for weeks in anticipation of this warmer weather. There are a number of fun, new styles hitting stores and some throwbacks that I love (and you may already have in your closet)! Since I am still on a wedding recovery budget (which I think I can begin calling a being married budget) but really needed a pick-me-up, I’ve found ways to incorporate my favorite trends without spending a lot!

Fringe Benefits

I’ve had fringe fascination since fall – when I bought this flapper-esque dress. It’s almost impossible to have a bad time in this dress…unless the fringe gets caught in the zipper… and it did… a lot (I call this fringe frustration).

This season, there’s fringe on dresses, tops, jackets, skirts and shoes, pretty much everything! I fell in love with this jacket on a shoot- but it was way beyond my budget.

In my opinion, the most practical way to incorporate fringe is to add a fringe handbag. Then you can rock a little fringe every day! Here are some budget-friendly bags… full disclosure, I went on a fringe-binge and bought them all.. and now I have to choose which one (s) to keep!

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a little denim? And the best part, you probably have it stashed in your closet! Fish out your fav denim shirt, jacket, vest and/or jeans. If you want to freshen it up, I found this denim jumper! Bell bottoms are back in a big way!

Am I the only one who is ready to put away my skinny and cigarette pants… at least for this season? Good news – wide-leg pants are back in style. Long, short or printed… this cool, cropped pair will only cost you $14.99!

The Vest of Us

Vests are the new sleeveless! If you don’t want to invest too much- I found this affordable, versatile one at Nordstrom! Vests are also an awesome way to incorporate fringe or denim into your look. And the perfect transitional piece to wear into the warmer weather!

Bride Elisa DiStefano is an entertainment and features reporter &; TV host. She loves fashion, fun, and pinning! Elisa is also passionate about community service and volunteering. She is a proud member of the Junior League, and was recently awarded "Humanitarian of the Year" by the American Cancer Society. She is a master multi-tasker, Type A Gemini, a graduate of Boston University, the eldest of three, and adopted mama to her husband's two large Goldens.